Fire believed to be sparked by Meth lab

Sue Thackeray

Published
6:00 pm CST, Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Porter Firefighters responded to the residence, located at 17217 Porter Lane off FM 1314, about 1:50 a.m. Wednesday.

The house was heavily involved in flames when firefighters and deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department arrived. But items found in and around the burning building made first responders believe they were dealing with more than just a normal house fire.

"The firefighters noticed several components of a methamphetamine lab inside the residence," said Detective Phillip Cash, a methamphetamine investigator with the Montgomery county Special Investigation Unit.

When members of the SIU and Texas Department of Public Safety's Methamphetamine Initiative Group arrived at the scene, they located at least four cylinders of anhydrous ammonia, a key element in the manufacture of methamphetamine. At least one of those cylinders was leaking the potentially toxic chemical, Cash said.

Investigators also found other suspected components of methamphetamine laboratories inside two vehicles parked near the residence, which is a rental property.

SIU investigators arrested two men who were at the house and are the owners of the two vehicles at the scene. Thomas Leroy Cox, 58, and Phillip "Doc" Kersh, 49, were charged with possession of certain chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Both men are from the east Houston area, and one recently rented the residence, Cash said.

"This is just another example of people moving from the city to the rural areas to cook drugs," Cash said.

The house sits just behind another residence and is connected to a large storage building by a carport. That storage building, which housed a recreational vehicle, was not damaged in the fire.

One of the men suffered blistering burns to his hands in the fire, but Cash said the injuries were not serious.

Both Cox and Kersh were placed in the Montgomery County Jail.

Shortly after investigators entered the home to determine the cause of the fire, an investigator from the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's office began experiencing respiratory problems apparently related to the inhalation of the toxic chemicals, said SIU Lt. Jimmy Armatys. That investigator was transported to the hospital for treatment. His condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators spent much of the day sifting through the rubble of the wood-frame house trying to determine exactly what caused the fire. Soon after entering the home, they suspected a methamphetamine lab was the source.

"The house is all electric," Cash said. "It has central heat and air, so there's no reason for a gas heater or a space heater."

An exact cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

Several chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine are extremely flammable, including camp fuel, anhydrous ammonia and ether. Some of the chemicals alone let off toxic fumes. Inhaling the fumes from anhydrous ammonia can cause permanent lung damage.